Portofino banned tourists from picnics, going barefoot or lying down. I found the rulebreakers
It's just gone 8am and there's barely a tourist in sight in the main piazza of Portofino as I take a sip of my first cappuccino of the day with a spectacular view of the water. The tranquillity tastes nearly as good as the coffee. But it won't last.
Portofino has been transformed from a sleepy fishing village into the biggest drawcard on the Italian Riviera. Once an exclusive playground for the world's rich and famous, it now attracts thousands of day-trippers and Instagrammers who pour through its piazza and cram its narrow alleys in the summer season.
Today, the temperatures are steamy when the cruise ship passengers start spilling out on to the wharf and racing to the gelaterias for their first ice cream of the day.
Some of the tourists kick off their shoes and dip their feet in the bay, others stroll around in their bathing costumes or strip off their shirts altogether.
But in doing so, they are breaking Portofino's anti-tourist rules. Under its tight restrictions, picnics are also banned, and dogs must be kept on a leash. And sitting on a bench with a beer in your hand or taking an afternoon snooze in the wrong place might also cost you.
Yet most visitors have no idea they are liable for fines from €25 (£22) to €500 (£435) for violating the strict new laws, which were recently approved by the local council. Portofino's mayor, Matteo Viacava, has banned bad behaviour in a bid to restore decorum to one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy.
It has a weighty reputation to uphold. Over the years, Portofino has welcomed Hollywood A-listers from Charlie Chaplin and Ava Gardner to VIPs such as Princess Grace of Monaco, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Winston Churchill.
In recent years, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Madonna have holidayed here, and the quaint town's luxury boutiques and designer stores are testament to the well-heeled clientele it continues to attract.
Perhaps that's why poor behaviour can no longer be tolerated by the town's 350 permanent residents – unless you are lodging in a five-star hotel or on a private yacht of your own.
But while I find one sign banning bare chests and bathing suits, there is no signage advising tourists of the entire list of the new restrictions, and no one in uniform seems to be patrolling the alleys or the pristine piazza enforcing the new rules.
On top of that, the mayor is not available for comment and not responding to my calls ('He spoke to the press a few weeks earlier and has nothing further to say,' a council employee tells me). The chief of police is also away from the office during my visit.
If anyone is curious about checking the finer details, it takes quite a bit of research to find the new ordinance on the council website. When I ask for help, one council employee tells me he can't find it either.
Finally, I root it out… and, of course, it is in Italian. There's no clarity on which misdemeanour warrants a mere €25 fine and which will see you slapped with a €500 one.
Back in the piazza, Danny, Harry and Otis have just landed from Huddersfield, and have immediately stripped off their shirts to soak up the sun. The bare-chested 20-year-olds are taken aback when I tell them the move could cost them a few hundred euros if they're caught.
'We got a few funny looks, we didn't know that,' says Danny, a maths student at Leeds University. 'I don't think I could even afford that,' he adds with a grin.
Nicole, a 22-year-old cruise ship passenger from St Louis, Missouri, is also surprised she could be fined for taking off her shoes and putting her feet in the shallows.
'I am not interested in a fine,' says Nicole, as she rubs the sand off her feet. 'I think we need to cut this short and put our shoes on,' says her now-panicked mother, Julie.
The following morning, local police are spotted patrolling the streets and stopping for coffee, but there is no indication of whether they intend to fine any of the tourists for flouting the rules.
'I am not authorised to speak to you,' one police officer tells me. 'But are you issuing any fines?' I ask. 'You have to go to the town hall. I can't say anything.'
Outside Gepi, one of Portofino's most popular gelaterias, tourists are lining up for their favourite flavours, which are sold at a premium. In keeping with the mayor's sentiment, local residents have taken the initiative and placed their own signs saying 'Do not sit here' to deter ice-cream lovers from any errant licks or loitering.
'They were put here by my neighbours because they are annoyed by the mass influx of people,' says 29-year-old Gianluigi Mariotto Rocca, who opens the doors of his ice-cream parlour from 7am to midnight in the summer. He's unapologetic about the enthusiastic ice cream lovers.
'I sell gelato, I don't sell big-name designer brands. There are a lot of people so there's plenty of business.'
Mariotto Rocca thinks the council is doing a good job representing the best interests of Portofino and insists bad behaviour is not confined to the tourists who visit the town.
'They're everywhere. It has nothing to do with the tourists here. There are badly behaved people all over the world. It's not just here.'
As the sun goes down, the day trippers return to their cruise ships docked in Portofino Bay, the streets empty out and the town recaptures its quiet equilibrium and timeless elegance.
Cocktails are being served at the Splendido Mare Hotel overlooking the square and the superyachts have switched on their lights. The aroma of fresh fish and garlic wafts across the alleys from the windows of the restaurants in silent anticipation of their guests.
Michela Nicosia, the manager of the Splendido Mare, has worked in Portofino for 30 years and insists the town has lost none of its charm. And no amount of restrictions is going to stop tourists from making the most of their experience.
'Portofino is special during the day, but when you see the VIPs coming down from their mega yachts in the evening, you can still feel la dolce vita because at the end of the day, this is la dolce vita. This is what people are here for.'
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